Posts Tagged ‘app’

Ever since the launch of Google Duo, one of the top criticisms has been that you can only have a single device registered at a time. That means a person with both a phone and a tablet has to choose just one of those devices to receive calls. But a few months ago, we got the first clue that Duo would soon enable users to link a Google account, making it possible to contact people with their email address rather than needing a current phone number.

Version 8.9 of the Play Store began rolling out earlier today, but as usual, you're probably not going to spot a lot of changes. However, I've been watching the last few updates and there have been clues for a few projects that are slowly coming together. Some truly cool things may be coming to us later this year, including what appears to be apps that can be downloaded in separate pieces.

If you're home or business is keeping wireless devices connected through a Google Wifi, you'll be getting an update to the companion app today. The new version brings a pair of app shortcuts for those of us using it on Android 7.1 or above, but that's about it for visible changes. A teardown adds to the subject with hints of a new batch testing feature and settings for something called "port opening."

Motion Stills is getting a big update to v2.0 today, and with it comes AR stickers. Now you'll be able to breathe new life into your already lively GIFs. This release isn't just about little animated characters, there are also some updates to make the UI a little prettier and more intuitive. As always, we've got a download link at the bottom if you want to get your hands on the update right away!

Every week, I examine somewhere in the neighborhood of a hundred app updates while looking for changes. The most interesting things turn into APK Teardowns or Download posts. Many of the remaining updates are unremarkable, amounting to a few bug fixes, routine updates to libraries, or even just pixel-level adjustments to layouts and images. However, there are usually a few updates that land somewhere in between. I don't want to spam readers with dozens of short posts, but I hate to ignore things that people might want to know about, so I'm going to wrap up the leftovers for a little weekend reading and call it Update Notes.

Google has been dabbling in the realm of Internet-based calling for years. First it was Gmail, then Hangouts got in on the action. While there were ways (and even third-party products) to use the Google Voice service for VoIP, it was probably the least enjoyable calling experience we've seen that didn't involve MacGyver-style shorting of exposed wires to dial a number. Now an update to the Google Voice app reveals that it's finally going to make its VoIP capabilities an official feature, and it'll be usable directly from your phone without any hacky workarounds.

Google Translate is getting an update today, but it looks pretty light on features. The main changes appear to center around properly labeling languages. Nine dialects are getting proper names, and it seems the term 'dialect' is going out of style, so Translate is now saying 'region' everywhere. A look through the APK also shows that we can look forward to app shortcuts in the future.

Version 7.20 of the Google app rolled out just a few days ago with an assortment of new features and minor changes. Today, a minor update to v7.20.16 hit the Play Store, and in typical fashion for an update without a major version bump, it looks a lot like a typical bug fix update. However, this one does include a few new strings that are slightly interesting. There are mentions of something called Google Temperature that might be worth watching out for.

We're getting a new version of Google Photos today, and breaking from the recent theme, this one actually has a few changes, though most of them don't stand out all that much. It's now easy to search for Motion Photos with a convenient search category. There are new notifications related to Photos Books, plus the settings to turn them off. And if anybody is auto-sharing photos with you, there's now a shortcut for setting up the same arrangement with them.

Like most Android phone manufacturers, Alcatel has uploaded many of its phones' apps to the Play Store. This allows the company to update various system apps without sending out a full Android upgrade. Some time in mid-November, Alcatel's gallery app received such an update - a very bad update, if reviews from owners of Alcatel phones are any indicator.

The app was formerly known simply as "Gallery," and was published to the Play Store by "mie-alcatel.support" (one of Alcatel's developer names on the Play Store).